Morokwane Kapu was broke, hungry and on the brink of giving up on her dream of being a university graduate.
She hadn't qualified for a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) grant, because she was not considered needy enough.
It was 2016, Kapu's first year of study towards a logistics diploma at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), and the height of the national #FeesMustFall student protests, when students were demanding an end to fee increases and more government funding.
Kapu, 23, had to resort to borrowing textbooks and swallowing her pride to ask for food from other students, because she could not survive on the R400-a-month allowance her parents gave her.
Then hope came in the form of a cash injection from the university's Missing Middle fundraising campaign, which began three years ago in response to struggling students, who, despite coming from middle-class families, could not afford tertiary education.
Kapu no longer had to stress about going hungry or dropping out after being granted a bursary of R72,000 - to cover her tuition, meals, books and residence fees - up until last year, when she completed her diploma.
South African universities have long explored third-stream income sources. But it was #FeesMustFall that propelled many to explore new financial avenues to assist financially strapped students, with some staff members dipping into their own pockets.
UJ's fund has successfully raised in excess of R195m to support students in 2018.
UJ spokesperson Herman Esterhuizen said the university had already supported 5,000 "missing middle" students with their registration and minimum initial payments through fundraising drives.
At the University of the Western Cape (UWC), more than 340 employees pledged to donate to a staff fund called Access to Success, run by the alumni office.
Last year staff raised more than R140,000 for students in need.
"The reality is that some of our staff are from disadvantaged backgrounds and can relate to these students in need. Because of these backgrounds, they are more inclined to assist," said Niven Maree, manager of the alumni relations office.
The funds are distributed to students in need via the financial aid office, in amounts determined by a committee made up of members of student development services and financial aid.
UWC staff member Shamah Abrahams said she felt compelled to donate because she was once a student there herself.
"A small donation can make a big difference in their lives," she said.
Sinombulelo Bovana, 22, counts herself lucky because she was able to complete her BSc honours degree in biokinetics last year.
"Without that funding I would not have been able to register. It is such a great initiative; the staff are doing a great job and changing lives.
"When I got that funding, I was in a corner. I can't describe how grateful I was," said Bovana.
High-achieving students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are also receiving a helping hand, thanks to initiatives by the institution's foundation - its official fundraising arm.
The foundation's executive director, Anesh Singh, said it ran two campaigns specifically directed at assisting students, one of which was the R67 for Mandela campaign - which raised about R364,000.
"Close on R45m was allocated towards bursaries last year. Many of the bursaries are donor-determined beneficiaries" linked to performance, equity, gender and race.
"The recipients are mainly from the missing middle. There could be a few who could qualify for NSFAS but because some of them are such high-performers, private donors chose to support them," Singh said...